Some 400 people from a range of human rights, campesino and Indigenous organisations and social movements attended the hearing in La Paz, Bolivia. © Amnesty International
Amnesty International went yesterday today to a public hearing of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in La Paz, Bolivia with 400 people from a range of human rights, campesino and Indigenous organizations and social movements.
They went to hear the Paraguayan state held to account for progress it has made in safeguarding the survival of the Sawhoyamaxa Indigenous community. Amnesty International has been campaigning with this community since 2008.
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Our report We’re only asking for what is ours was launched this morning in a press conference. The Yakye Axa and Sawhoyamaxa Indigenous communities each designated three people to speak to the press – as part of a panel and in subsequent interviews.
Even without knowing any Guaraní we could understand the power of their words and the passion with which they voiced their demands to the public. We did our best to make sure that the community representatives were the protagonists of the day, although sadly it was difficult to convince many local journalists that they should interview them directly.
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People from the Sawhoyamaxa community taking part in a workshop with Amnesty International, Kilómetro 16, Paraguay, 27 November 2008. ©Amnesty International
Last night, we met with over 30 members of the communities who had just arrived in Asunción for the launch of our campaign.
It was motivating to remind ourselves why we were here – to support their campaign for the realisation of their rights – yet frustrating that our presence is even necessary. These communities have been demanding the return of their land through all available legal means for over 15 years, and despite all of their efforts and the support of other organizations, remain living in precarious conditions at the side of the road.
Throughout this campaign, we have sought to reflect the communities’ demands truthfully. During a meeting last night, we first presented our short report to the communities, translated into Guarani. We are also producing a radio version of the report to help them, and other Indigenous communities, to raise awareness about their situation.
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Comunidad Indigena Yakye Axa ©Amnesty International
We are here in Paraguay to launch our campaign for the rights of the Yakye Axa and Sawhoyamaxa Indigenous communities to their traditional land, in line with two binding judgements from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. We are calling upon the Paraguayan State to demonstrate its commitment to these communities and comply with these overdue rulings.
Our delegation received an affectionate welcome from President Fernando Lugo on Friday when we went to inform him of our campaign launch on Tuesday 31 March. We handed him a copy of the short report we will be launching with the Yakye Axa and Sawhoyamaxa indigenous communities, “We’re only asking for what is ours”. We also presented the President with a petition of over 3,000 signatures collected over the last two months from 54 countries.
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29 January 2009: Amnesty’s delegation participated in several workshops at the UFPA (Federal University of Pará) and UFRA (Federal Rural University of the Amazonia). The UFRA holds most of the thematic tents including the Human Rights tent and the Indigenous Peoples’ tent.
The representatives of the two indigenous communities of Yaky Axa and Sawhoyamaxa from Paraguay joined a workshop/forum organised by FIAN and HIC, two organisations working on the right to food and right to housing, called human rights and struggles over land, habitat and the environment.
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